Clearpebble's Destiny
by Vinepoppy
Summary: To most, Clearkit is just an ordinary SkyClan kit. But to her family, she is a half-clan mutant with a fear of being discovered. As she grows, she'll experience heartache, joy, pain, sadness, and will have to learn to accept her destiny. Will she become warrior she hopes to be? Or will she be kicked out of the Clan, not just for being half RiverClan, but for another, darker secret?
1. SkyClan Allegiances

**So, my first ever fandom was Warrior Cats, and when I was young and before I got into Harry Potter and Star Wars and all that, I was mega into this and was like the biggest fan EVER! (cough) I guess i still am, really. I mean, I blame my love of reading on Erin Hunter. So anyways, let me calm myself, this happens when (SPOILERS DON'T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN'T READ AT LEAST FORESTER'S QUEST WHICH HOPEFULLY YOU HAVE) SkyClan was still in the forest with everybody else. I know, there's a whole new plot line about SkyClan, and the forest is old news, and they're probably going to join the other Clans at the lake, but I'm a sucker for the old life. This follows the story of Clearkit, a SkyClan she-cat with RiverClan blood. (No, she's not related to Clear Sky... wait... that's actually interesting... never mind maybe she is *mysterious wink*)(also, i know, the most cliche plot line ever, a half blood, but i don't care) Im not really sure where this is going to lead at all whatsoever. Good luck, me. Remember: I LOVE reviews. If you read, please review! I want feedback! This hasn't been edited or read over so sorry if there are mistakes! I've only written a few pics before, and they've all either focused on romance or angst or both, so this is my first actual plot story. Thanks again and sorry if this is horrible! No warnings so far. Definitely no sex or smut and no cursing. Also, Bonus! If you have ever heard of Doll Divine, there are several wonderful cat creators there, and I have made many of the characters there. Every chapter, I'll post a pic of one character. Which might not work, so don't get your hopes up... that was a long intro... sorry... anyways, this first chapter isn't even the first chapter. This is just the list of SkyClan warriors. If you want, I can make the other Clans' too, but for now I'm just doing SkyClan.**

* * *

SkyClan

Leader—Cherrystar: black-and-white she-cat with blue-eyes (sister to Ravenstripe, mate of Whitepelt [deceased] mother of Quietfly)

Deputy: Crowheart: black-and-ginger swirled tom with amber eyes (brother to Beejump)

Medicine Cat: Mistfur: silver tom with gray eyes

Apprentice, Haypaw

Warriors: Flaxenpelt: light tan tabby tom (mate to Pinestep, father of Oakstalk, Bright-tail, and Lightspring)

Ravenstripe: white she-cat with black stripe (sister to Cherrystar)

Pinestep: dark brown she-cat (mate to Flaxenpelt, mother of Oakstalk, Bright-tail, and Lightspring)

Apprentice, Amberpaw

Oakstalk: young tan striped tom (brother to Bright-tail and Lightspring)

Nightcreek: blue-grey tom with black spots (brother to Flowerfur and Whitefleck, fake mate to Cliffsplash, fake father of Clearkit, Mosskit, and Swiftkit)

Whitefleck: brown she-cat with white spots (sister to Nightcreek and Flowerfur)

Apprentice, Dustpaw

Flowerfur: grey she-cat (sister to Nightcreek and Whitefleck)

Sandyclaw: sand-colored she-cat (mate to Harepelt)

Breezefoot: white tom

Harepelt: brown tabby tom (mate to Sandyclaw)

Beejump: Black and brown she-cat (mate to Fastleap [deceased])

Bright-tail: young tan she-cat with white markings and green eyes (sister to Oakstalk and Lightspring)

Treebark: dark brown tom with one eye

Apprentice, Specklepaw

Lightspring: young white she-cat with various tan markings (sister to Oakstalk and Bright-tail)

Quickspots: light golden tom with black spots (mate to Berrycloud)

Apprentices: Haypaw: yellow tom with darker stripes

Amberpaw: ginger she-cat with yellow eyes (sister to Dustpaw and Specklepaw)

Dustpaw: ginger tom with amber eyes (brother to Amberpaw and Specklepaw)

Specklepaw: ginger she-cat with white spots (sister to Dustpaw and Amberpaw)

QUEENS: Berrycloud: white she-cat (pregnant with Quickspots' kits)

Cliffsplash: dark grey she-cat with black and grey splotches and light amber eyes (mate of Heronleap, fake mate of Nightcreek. Mother to Clearkit: gray she-cat with a few silver spots, short tail, and two different colored eyes; Mosskit: golden-and-brown she-cat with brown eyes; and Swiftkit: silver tabby tom with green eyes)

ELDERS: Snakefoot: tan tabby tom (father of Nightcreek, Whitefleck, and Flowerfur, mate to Browneyes [deceased])

Quietfly: young white she-cat with blue eyes; blind (daughter of Cherrystar)

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 **I hope to get you the first actual chapter very soon. I should upload at least once every week, usually on Saturdays. If I start lacking, yell at me with all your fury!**


	2. Chapter 1: The First Day

**Hey everybody! The story is starting! I've posted the image of Clearkit in the** **reviews, please go check it out!**

"What's wrong with her?"

"Why doesn't she have a tail?"

"Hush... she has a tail, see?"

"You call that a tail?"

"Because you know what a tail is."

"You're just as old as I am!"

"Hush, both of you. Clearkit's just a little bit different."

I bury my face deeper into my mother's warm stomach. The sound of my littermates arguing blare loudly in my soft ears. They've been bounding around for days now; I still preferred keeping my eyes shut and not knowing what's outside by closed lids.

"Are her eyes open yet?" Mosskit's annoyed mew breaks through my ears again.

"I'll check!" Swiftkit thrusts his muzzle near mine. His kitten-breath is warm on my cheek, but I recoil still. "Nope."

"Leave her alone," my mother, Cliffsplash, coos. She wraps her tail around me protectively.

"But we're bored!"

"You have each other. You can play."

"I want to play with Clearkit!" Mosskit sighs.

Their bickering is keeping me awake. I ponder my choices. I can open my eyes and force myself into the troublesome world, or I could keep them closed and endure their noisiness.

I guess you could say I lacked patience, because before I knew it I was squirming away from Cliffsplash and blearily opening my eyes.

"She's opened her- WOAH! Mommy, it's not just her tail that's weird! So are her eyes! Look! One's blue and one's green!"

"Shh..." Cliffsplash smiles down at me. "It's not weird. I know many cats with two colors of eyes. Welcome, Clearkit. I'm glad you finally decided to open up."

I peer up at my mother. She is very dark grey, with black patches and light grey patches. Her tail is long and soft, but her paw pads are rough. Her eyes are so amber they're almost golden, and her muzzle has a small patch of white on it.

"HEY!" Mosskit bounds into my line of sight, her long fur sticking in all directions. "I'm Mosskit, and we're going to be best friends!" Mosskit looks very different from Mother; Mosskit has very light brown, almost golden fur. If you peer closely, you can glimpse a flash of gold here and there. Her tail resembles Cliffsplash's; it's long and fluffy. Mosskit's eyes are a glimmering brown.

"Come on, don't hog OUR sister!" Swiftkit scrambles after her. His fur is much shorter than Mother's and Mosskit's. Instead, it's short and sleek, ready to get the job done and not get in the way. It's such a light silver that it's almost white. It's covered in darker stripes. He has a white muzzle and four white paws. His tail is long, but not fluffy, and his eyes are green.

I wonder what I look like.

"I'm Swiftkit!" he squeaks.

"I know," I mew faintly.

His eyes go round. "How?"

"OH! Can you _read minds?"_ Mosskit breathes.

"Don't be silly," I brush my paw across my muzzle. "Just because my eyes aren't open doesn't mean my ears aren't. I've heard Mother call you by your name."

"Oh," Swiftkit meows, licking his chest fur a few times, a little embarrassed and a little disappointed.

"Don't crowd her," Cliffsplash's gentle meow interrupts our conversation. "If you three want to go explore the camp, you can go now."

Mosskit squeals in excitement and dashes out of the nursery, with Swiftkit following, a bit more cautious. I hesitate longer than both of them, before following them out after a gentle nudge from Cliffsplash.

"Oh… _wow…_ "I breath as the sunlight bathes my fur.

The SkyClan camp is enormous. Towering trees encircle the entire clearing. Some of them have cats scrambling around in them. Many cats are walking around. Three young cats wrestle by a den. An elderly cat is stretching next to a young white cat. A pile of fresh-kill lays in the middle, and an ancient oak stands at the front. At the top of the tree there's a hollow covered by lichen. I gasp as a cat suddenly ducks out of it.

She is a blinding white with black splotches. Although her muzzle is graying, muscles still gather beneath her pelt when she walks. Her deep blue eyes glitter with wisdom, a soft sadness, and hard determination, but kindness shows as well.

"Cherrystar! Look, you kin's kits are finally out of the nursery!" One of the warriors, a brown tabby tom, calls out.

All of the sudden, the action ceases. Every cat's attention is on us. Cherrystar looks down to us. My breath catches in my throat and my heart pounds. Mosskit and Swiftkit look just as nervous as I.

Then, "Welcome to SkyClan!" Cherrystar purrs.

Suddenly, the whole Clan is purring too.

"Welcome!

"Welcome to SkyClan!"

"Welcome to SkyClan!"

I relax, my fur flattening. Mosskit thrusts her chest out. Swiftkit purrs back in delight. I smile, not sure why I was so happy, but really enjoying SkyClan so far.

Out of the corner of my eye, I realize there's only one cat that is not enjoying our welcome. A black-and-ginger swirled tom is slowly grooming his paw. His amber eyes settle coldly on me, and he pauses to quickly curl his lip at us. I flinch, but maybe I imagined it because the next moment he's walking away as though nothing's happened.

"Did you see—" I ask Swiftkit, but he's too busy listening to one of the young cats.

"I'm Amberpaw," a ginger she-cat tells us enthusiastically. "This is my sister Specklepaw and my brother Dustpaw!" Two other ginger cats, one with spots and the other a tom, wave their tales at us, then go back to wrestling. "Welcome to SkyClan, the best Clan EVER!"

"EVER!" Swiftkit echoes excitedly. I scratch the ground in excitement, waiting for Mosskit to agree, when I suddenly realize that Mosskit's not her.

"Mosskit?" I call out, worried.

"Is that your sister?" Amberpaw asks. "The pretty golden splotched one? I think that's her, over with the warriors." Her eyes widen slightly in mock shock and amusement. "You'd better go get her, quick! She's about to pounce on Oakstalk's tail! Oakstalk is a great cat, but he has quite a temper!"

"Oh no!" I squeak, scrambling over to the warrior's den as soon as my tiny paws can carry me. Swiftkit seems reluctant to leave Amberpaw behind, but he follows me.

Mosskit is crouching down behind a group of three young warriors. Oakstalk, a tan tabby, doesn't see her. His tail swishes back and forth across the dusty ground. It's so tantalizing; suddenly, I want to catch it too! I crouch down, but it's too late. Mosskit is already wiggling her hindquarters and—

" _MROW!_ " Oakstalk hisses, jumping up and turning around as Mosskit lands on his tail. "That's my tail, not a play-feather, pigeon-brain!" His eyes flash with anger at Mosskit. She cowers in fear, her gorgeous brown eyes wide open in fear.

"Hey!" I meow angrily. "Don't hurt my sister! You'll have to get through me first!" I unsheathe my claws threateningly.

Swiftkit bounds up beside me. "Yeah! Over my dead body! Or… preferably not, actually."

Oakstalk stares down at us. For an anger-crazed moment, I'm sure he's about to attack us. Then, he let's a _mrow_ of laughter, and I realize there's humor in his eyes, not fury. The three of us relax, now all embarrassed.

"Don't worry, I would never hurt any kit," he laughs. "Especially not Cherrystar's kin! I know you were just playing. I did that all the time when I was a kit," his expression grows wistful.

A pretty tan-and-white she-cat walks up behind him and nudges him playfully. "You make it sound forever ago! It was barely yesterday when we three were still 'paws."

"You're right, Bright-tail," Oakstalk nods.

"C'mon you two, I would love to spend the day reminiscing, but we're on a hunting patrol," A white she-cat with tan markings meows, more serious than Bright-tail and Oakstalk.

"Oh lighten up, _Light_ spring," Oakstalk replies, then bites his lip to suppress giggles.

"I swear if you make that joke one more time…" Lightspring growls, and then rolls her eyes. "Fine, if you want to get in trouble your first day as warriors, go ahead. I'm leaving."

"Oh, we're coming," Bright-tail sighs. She gives a warm look. "We'll see you around, kits." Then the three siblings walk off.

"Your welcome," Mosskit says.

"For what?" I'm confused.

"Introducing you to you're first warriors," she replies smugly.

"I was saving you!" I growl. She shrugs.

We continue to explore the camp. We meet the medicine cat Mistfur and his apprentice Haypaw, and although they seem nice they are both busy, so we continue.

Once, we come to a small puddle. Curious, we all peek into it. We are startled when we see three faces staring back at us.

"Who are they?" Mosskit breathes

"They're us, silly," Swiftkit pokes her in the side.

"Oh, I'm sooo pretty!" Mosskit brushes a paw over her ear. I roll my eyes. Soon, I will be used to it.

I'm gray, with the occasional silver splatter here and there. One rear paw is silver, and the other rear leg is silver. My chest and underbelly are the same light shade, and the tip of my muzzle is also light gray. My tail is like no other's; instead of long, it's extremely short and bobbed. The very tip of it is silver. My eyes are different, too. One is blue, while the other is green. I'm nowhere near as pretty as Mosskit. She's all fluttery eyelashes and soft, luscious fur. My fur is more like Swiftkit's; short and bristly.

"Mosskit! Clearkit! Swiftkit!" Our mother is calling us. We come bounding over, tripping each other accidentally and on purpose.

She bends over us and gives us several good licks. "I want you to meet someone," she tells us. Her voice is proud, but there's anxiety and wariness underneath. "Your father's just gotten back from his hunting patrol!"

 _Our father!_

Mosskit jumps up and down in excitement. I try to stay calm, but I was nervous. Would he like us? Would he love us?

A grey-blue tom pads over to us. Black spots ripple all over his pelt. His blue eyes shine with warmth. I immediately like him.

"So," he purrs, "how are the newest additions to the Clan?"

We squeak in excitement and tumble over to him.

"I'm Mosskit," my sister, always the leader, throws her head back, tossing the setting sunlight onto her golden fur.

"I know," he replies brightly. "I was the one who named you."

"Thanks! I like my name!" Mosskit mews eagerly.

"However, I left you two up to Cliffsplash," his gaze rests on Swiftkit and I. A tingle of nervousness flashes through me. Swiftkit steps forward.

"I'm Swiftkit!" He reaches up and our father bends down so his son can lick his nose. Then he looks gently to me.

"And you, little one?"

My throat clenches up. I duck shyly behind Cliffsplash. She smiles and nudges me forward. "It's okay," she murmurs in my ear. "You can always tell Nightcreek anything you want."

"I'm Clearkit," I mumble, finally meeting his eyes.

"A beautiful name," Nightcreek murmurs, his eyes shining. "I'm so glad you're finally all awake so I can properly meet you!"

Cliffsplash and Nightcreek touch noses. "How have they been?" Father asks.

"Wonderful," Mother purrs. "But now it's time to settle down for the night. Say goodnight to your father," she tells us.

"Goodnight, Father!" we chorus.

"Goodnight, kits," He smiles at us one last time before turning and heading for the warriors' den.

"Come along, time for bed," Cliffsplash nudges us to the nursery. "How was your day?"

"Pretty good," Mosskit yawns.

"Did you make any friends?"

"Yep." Swiftkit stretches. "Lots and lots of friends!"

"What about you Clearkit? What did you think?"

I had already closed my eyes, but I opened them again. "I think…" I closed my eyes. "I know I'm gonna like it here."


	3. Chapter 2: The Two-leg Den

Chapter 2

"So there I was, outnumbered 20 to 1—" Snakefoot rasps, raising his paw for emphasis.

"Last time you told it, it was 10 to 1," Quietfly interrupts. "And the time before that it was only 5 to one!"

It has been three moons since the day I opened my eyes. My siblings and I are tucked together in the elders' den, listening to a story.

"Hmmph," the elder snorts. "Your name may be Quietfly, but you're anything but quiet."

Quietfly rolls her blind eyes and goes back to grooming.

"Eh…Now where was I?" Snakefoot scratches his ear. Mosskit, Swiftkit and I snuggle closer in anticipation. "The ThunderClan cats were closing in from all directions. All my patrol was too injured to help me out. I knew soon, I would join them. I had to escape somehow! But how? The only way out was too fight all those ThunderClan mouse-brains single-pawed! So what do you think I did?"

"What?" Swiftkit breathes.

"I fought them all single-pawed!" Snakefoot cries, scratching at the air.

"Whoa…" we all gasp.

"I have a question!" Mosskit pipes up.

"Eh?"

"If they're mouse-brains, they must not have been too hard to fight."

"Sometimes, quantity outnumbers quality," Snakefoot sniffs.

"Oh," Mosskit replies, pretending to understand.

"So I lunged at them with all my might, an' with all the glory of LionClan I—"

A cry of pain interrupted him. "Now what?" The elder sighed.

All of us, even Snakefoot, exited the elder den.

"It's coming from the nursery," I observed.

Mistfur dashed from the medicine cat den with Haypaw right behind him, herbs clenched in their mouths.

"Berrycloud is giving birth!" Whitefleck called out. Quickspots, Berrycloud's mate, cried out in shock and rushed to the nursery.

"Is it free?" Swiftkit piped up.

"Eh?" Snakefoot looked confused.

"Whitefleck said Berrycloud was giving something! I want some!" Swiftkit replied.

Snakefoot chuckled. "'Giving birth' means she's going to have kittens! In a couple of hours, you'll have new little friends."

"New cats!" Mosskit squeals. "I can't wait! They'll be so much fun!"

o o o

"They're no fun at all!" Mosskit sighs sulkily.

Two kits are cuddling next to Berrycloud's stomach, suckling for milk.

"They're still very young," Cliffsplash whispers. "And be quiet; Berrycloud is very tired. "Soon, they'll be just as energetic as you three. Now, why don't you go outside again and play? Berrycloud and her new kits need some space."

Mosskit's tail droops as she pads outside. "First they're tiny squirrel-pups and now we're being kicked out? They're _really_ not fun!"

"You could say that again," Swiftkit agrees gloomily.

"Outside is boring," Mosskit moans as she flops onto her stomach.

"Inside is boring too," I point out, but I can't help but agree with her. We've been outside all day!

The three of us sit there for a while, sulking, until suddenly Mosskit raises her head. "I have an idea," she announces, her eyes gleaming. "We should go outside!"

"We are outside," Swiftkit groans.

"I mean outside the camp!"

"We can't!" I gasp, sitting up as well. "We're not allowed to! We'll get in trouble!"

"Not if nobody finds out!" Mosskit whispers, leaning in excitedly "If we go out into the forest, we can catch prey, and bring it back for the whole Clan to see! They'll be so impressed, they might even make us apprentices early!"

Apprentices early? Boy, did that sound great. We could hang out with Amberpaw, Dustpaw, and Specklepaw without annoying them! We could go on patrols, and fight battles! My tiny tail whisks in excitement.

"I'll go!" I whisper.

"So will I!" Swiftkit leaps to his paws.

"Ok," Mosskit glances around. "The trick is, getting out without being spotted."

"How will we do that?" I frown. "There are always two guards at the entrance."

"The dirt-place tunnel!" Swiftkit pipes up, twirling his tail.

"Yuck!" I stick out my tongue, but Mosskit nods in agreement. "Good thinking, Swiftkit! No cat guards it, and it'll cover our scent."

"I still think it's gross," I mutter, but I follow them.

"I told you it would stink," I hiss as we all hold our breath.

"Shh!" Mosskit growls. "You'll thank us when you get made apprentice early!"

We slink out. I try to not breathe in, but I decide it's worth it when I finally step into the forest.

Trees reach up into the sky, seemingly never ending. Yellow sunlight filters through the wide leaves, casting a green light upon us. Well-worn paths are filled with many cats' scents, and I'm proud when I recognize a few of them. Plants of all sorts crowd the ground, and the air is fresh around us. I fill my lungs with it, and scratch the ground in excitement.

"Where to first?" Swiftkit asks, breaking the awed silence.

"I hear there's an abandoned Two-leg den with a bunch of mice in it!" I pipe up, remembering overhearing Beejump chatting about it the other day.

"Two-legs?" Mosskit's voice trembles, her bravado cracking a bit. "Aren't they the tall, scary ones with two legs and no fur?"

"Yep!" Swiftkit mews. "But it's abandonidedid… abandunned? Abanodidd…"

"Abandoned!" I sigh exasperatedly. "It means that the Two-legs aren't there anymore!"

"But what if they come back?" Mosskit inquires.

"They won't," I lick my paw neatly. "If we stay here forever then the warriors will find us and try to bring us back!"

"Ok," Swiftkit agrees. "But do we know where it is?"

"West of the camp," I say confidently, proud to know something my littermates don't. "Follow me!"

Together, we bound off into the woods. My nose twitches as it picks up thousands of new scents. Prey, leaves, water, more prey, dirt…

"Here it is!" I hiss. We crouch down and peer through the undergrowth. In front of us towers a leaning structure. Every now and then, there's a groan and some dust filters down and settles to the ground.

"You sure it's safe?" Swiftkit whispers.

"Of course," I reply, not wanting my find to be forgotten. "Beejump was meowing about it and how great it was!" But doubt crept into me. Had she mentioned something about instability? I didn't recall…

"Let's go!" Mosskit jumps out. "Last one there is a ThunderClan cat!"

"No way!" Swiftkit follows her, and although Mosskit had a head start, Swiftkit easily passes her and jumps up the front step.

"I win!" he yowls.

"No fair!" Mosskit sulks.

"I'm not called Swiftkit for nothing!" He boasts.

"Both of you, quiet!" I bite my dew-claw, faintly annoyed that they're acting immature. "You're gonna scare all the mice away and draw the warriors to us!"

"Ok, ok, don't get your tail in a twist," Swiftkit grumbles, then winces in embarrassment. "Sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's fine," I reply, a bit coolly, but there is still an air of arrogance about him as we stalk into the den.

As soon as we walk in, I could tell this was a good idea. I can already smell a plethora of mice scurrying around, some even darting into our view.

"Ok, now remember what Amberpaw taught us," I murmur, and crouch into a low position. It feels awkward, and I can sense I'm not doing it right, but I continue. Mosskit and Swiftkit follow my example.

"Place your paws down lightly…and…" I sprang up and landed on the bare floor. The mouse that I had been stalking disappeared. Mosskit snorted in amusement.

"Think that's funny?" I growl, knowing that I shouldn't be this irritated. "Let's see you try!"

"Ok, I will!" Mosskit purrs. She leaps high into the air, her powerful SkyClan legs lifting her away from the ground. Despite myself, I'm impressed. Her amber-yellow eyes glow with confidence and her golden fur reflects the thin sunlight. However, when her paws thump to the ground, she still gets nothing.

Swiftkit has better luck. The crouch seems to come more naturally to him. He can press himself lower to the ground than either Mosskit or me, and he snakes along the ground until he quickly lashes out a paw and snags a mouse.

"Wow! Good job, Swiftkit!" Mosskit cheers, her fluffy tail whisking in the air.

"Yeah, good job!" I echo, not extremely resentful.

"I'm gonna be called…" Swiftkit puffs out his chest and yowls, "SWIFTHUNTER THE GREAT!"

We giggle, but then something feels wrong. There's another groan, but it's louder this time. The mice all scurry away.

"CLEARKIT! MOSSKIT! SWIFTKIT! GET OUT OF THERE, NOW! IT'S ABOUT TO COLLAPSE!"

We don't even have time to see who has called out to us when there's a loud sigh, and with an ear-splitting snap the Two-leg den starts to fall onto us.

"Run!" Mosskit screeches.

My heart is about to burst through my chest. I can't run! My paws are frozen to the ground as the wood splinters and dust flies into the air. I stare up in horror as a log of wood comes hurtling down towards me. _Is this really the end? Was my life meant to be this short?_

I don't have much time to ponder. In a flash of orange and black, a cat leaps at me and bites into my scruff, knocking me out of the way at the last second. It's Crowheart—he must've been on patrol.

He sets me down and whirls back into the den. I curl up, shock flooding through me. I can barely see Pinestep and Amberpaw nudging me in concern. Crowheart dashes back out, Mosskit hanging in his jaws. She looks frightened, but seems fine. It's then that the rest of the den crashes down, sending up one final gush of dust. Then, everything is silent. Everything is still.

"But—" I gasp, finding my voice. "S-Swiftkit is still in there!"

"You three shouldn't have been in there!" Crowheart snarls, his deep voice reverberating in my ears. "You shouldn't have even left the camp!"

"Swiftkit…" I whimper, barely hearing Crowheart. He snorts in anger, but Amberpaw wriggles away from Pinestep and dashes into the wreckage.

"Wait!" her mentor calls, but Amberpaw ignores her. In a streak of ginger, she dives into the rubble. It's a few seconds before she comes back. When she returns, there's a limp silver figure hanging by his scruff. His prized mouse is still hanging in his lifeless jaws.


	4. Alert! (warning, this is not a chapter)

**Hey, sorry this isn't a chapter. Buuuuuut I'm pretty sure my pic uploads aren't working! I'm not extremely tech savvy but I know my way around computer. I'm not really sure if there is a way to let you see them! so here's what i'm gonna do. I want ya'll to write down your email address and then I will email you the picture of you really want to see it. Please do, because I've made a lot and they're fun to share! And if you're mad at me because this isn't a chapter, please forgive me! The next chapter should HOPEFULLY be out later today. It's a snow day where I live so I have a bunch of time on paws. What... I meant hands...**


	5. Chapter 3: Never Do That Again!

Chapter 3

"SWIFTKIT! NO!" Cliffsplash screams as we walk into camp. I plod wearily in front of Amberpaw, who is holding Swiftkit in her jaws still. Mosskit is resting on Pinestep's back, tiny claws limply grasping the loose fur.

"Somebody get Mistfur!" Crowheart yowls.

Amberpaw gently lays Swiftkit to the ground, wild concern in her eyes. Mistfur and Haypaw dash out of the medicine cat den. The old silver tom gently presses his paws to Swiftkit's chest, and drags his tail along the kit' flank.

"Haypaw, go get burnet, comfrey, and bindweed," Mistfur orders his apprentice. "And catchweed, if we have any. And what will help with breathing and sore joints?" he inquires. "Coltsfoot and daisy leaves," The yellow tabby replies shortly and dashes off, returning moments later with the ordered herbs.

"The comfrey will help mend the broken bones and the bindweed will keep them in place, while the burnet should boost his strength," the medicine explains while chewing and spitting the comfrey into Swiftkit's ribs and front leg.

"He's… he's still alive?" I gasp.

"For now," Crowheart replies grimly. By now, most of the Clan has gathered to watch the commotion.

Mistfur continues. "Kits tend to rub off any poultices, so the catchweed should prevent that. Any inhaled dust that impairs his breathing should be fixed by the coltsfoot, while the daisy leaves should soothe any extra bumps or bruises. I would give him poppy seeds, but he's already to deep into unconsciousness for me to risk that."

 _Just fix him already!_ I want to scream, but I am smart enough to remain quiet and let Mistfur and Haypaw do their job.

After a few tense moments, Mistfur straightens and looks to Cliffsplash. "That's the best I can do for now," he says. "I need to take these three to my den now. Mosskit and Clearkit need to be looked over, too."

Cliffsplash nods mutely.

"I'll help you carry them," Nightcreek volunteers. I'm glad he did; my legs suddenly seem to be made of water and I collapse, all my strength gone. The world fades to black around me.

o o o

When I wake up, the familiar walls of the nursery surround me. Mosskit is sleeping peacefully by my side, her back rising and falling with each steady breath. With a jolt, I realize that Swiftpaw isn't in here.

Lifting my head, I see that it's night-time. Cliffsplash is snoring gently by my side. Berrycloud and her new kits are also fast asleep. I'm the only one awake.

I quietly pick my way around the slumbering bodies and creep outside. A nearly- full moon hangs lazily in the black sky, outshining the stars around it. It allows me to easily find my way to the medicine cat den in the dark.

" _Swiftkit?"_ I hiss quietly, hoping not to wake Mistfur and Haypaw. "Are you awake?"

"Hmm?" the silver tabby raises his head, blinking his eyes blurrily, before wincing slightly as though the motion hurt him.

I sigh in relief. "I thought you were dead!"

"I… I remember the walls coming down! And then… something red… what was that?"

"Red?" I frown.

"More ginger, really," Swiftkit scratches his ear.

"Oh! That was Amberpaw," I explain. "She leapt in and saved you."

"Really?" A goofy smile spreads across my brother's face. "Amberpaw saved me? She's so brave!"

"Yeah," I agree.

"And really pretty…" Swiftkit sighs dreamily.

"I suppose, maybe," I frown slightly, unsure why I dislike this new behavior. "Anyways, how are you feeling?"

"Sore," Swiftkit admits. "What about you?"

"Just restless," I reply, my stump of a tail wiggling. "But I've had enough adventure for now!"

"And Mosskit? Is she fine?" Swiftkit looks worried.

"Yep, also good! She was in the nursery with me." I sigh, looking down at my paws. "It was my idea to go to the nest. I nearly killed you!"

"It wasn't your fault," Swiftkit replies, his ever-kind eyes smiling at me. "We all decided to go try and hunt! I suppose we won't be apprentices early," he realizes forlornly.

"Probably not," I agree. "But hey, you were the only one who caught a mouse!"

"That's true!" Swiftkit brightens slightly. "Where is it?"

"I don't know… it was forgotten in all the chaos. I'll go look for it!"

Without waiting for a reply, a dash off, desperate to make Swiftkit happy again. I sniff around the clearing, avoiding Treebark and Sandyclaw, who are keeping watch. Finally, I find the limp form of a dusty brown mouse. I happily pick it up and return to the medicine den, only to find my brother fast asleep again. I gently tuck the mouse underneath his bedding, then lick him on the nose.

"Sleep well, Swifkit," I murmur. "Get better soon."

o o o

"Clearkit! Mosskit! Wake up," Cliffsplash nudges us not-so-gently. Blinking open my eyes, I see our mother standing over us, anger radiating off her pelt. "The Clan leader wants to speak with us."

Panic grips me. I know Cherrystar must be calling us to discuss our punishment. Mosskit and I exchange frightened looks, then follow our mother. Nightcreek accompanies us, also looking grave. Our parents help us up the tree into the leader's den.

"Greetings, Cliffsplash, Nightcreek," Cherrystar dips her head formally to my mom and dad, then looks down to us. "And Clearkit and Mosskit. It is unfortunate that Swiftkit could not join us today, however Mistfur told me that it is unadvised that he should leave his nest and I respect his word. However, when he gets better, he will accompany his siblings with their punishment." She fixed us with a serious look.

I press closer to Mosskit, seeking comfort with my sister. She lays her tail across my back briefly. So this _is_ about out punishment.

"I am not your parents, but I am your leader, so I will get some say on what your punishment is," Cherrystar tells us. "Cliffsplash and Nightcreek, do you have any suggestions?"

"I say we make them wait six extra moons before they become apprentices," Cliffsplash hisses, her tail lashing with barely suppressed rage.

"Now dear," Nightcreek glances at her sympathetically. "That's a bit extreme."

Father seems calmer than Mother, but I still cower fearfully. Will Cherrystar make us wait that long to become 'paws?

"I agree with Nightcreek," Cherrystar's whiskers twitched slightly. "I am also a mother, Cliffsplash, and I know that you want to keep your kits safe. However, we can't keep them close forever. I suggest, to repay Mistfur and Haypaw for taking care of them, they spend a moon with them to help them sort out any supplies and take care of the herbs."

Nightcreek nods in agreement, but Cliffsplash hesitates. "They won't be in contact with any ill cats, will they? I don't want them to become infected."

"Don't worry, Cliffsplash," Cherrystar replies kindly. "If any illness strikes, their length in the den will be paused." She shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe one of them will become interested in following down that path."

"With herbs and blood and vomit! Yuck! No way!" Mosskit bristles, unable to keep silent.

"Don't—" Cliffsplash glares at her, but Cherrystar sweeps her tail in forgiveness, a smile on her graying muzzle. "It's okay. It was merely a thought." She dips her head to the four of us. "You are dismissed."

We leave. When we are down the Hightree, Cliffsplash whirls to us and furiously covers our heads with licks.

"Ugh… mommm…" Mosskit ducks away in embarrassment.

"You are very lucky to be alive," Cliffsplash hisses. "Your father and I were both very worried. Never do that again!"

"We're sorry," I say. Mosskit echoes me.

"Now, go report in with Mistfur and tell him about your punishment. I'm sure he can use your help."

 **I feel like not much happened in this chapter, so sorry about that. Don't worry, a bit more will happen next time! Don't forget to send me your email via review if you want some cat designs! Vinepoppy out!**


	6. Chapter 4: Finally

**Sorry for the shortness! hope you like it! At this rate, chapter 5 will be out before long.**

Chapter 4

"Hey! Hey Clearkit!" Sweetkit, one of Berrycloud's kits, scrambles across my mound of dirty bedding. My moon of working for Mistfur was nearly over. My last job he had instructed to do was clean out everyone's bedding in the nursery. Mosskit was working on laying down new bedding, while I scrape away the dirty moss. Swifkit had recovered well, and he was told to clean the elders for ticks.

"Yes Sweetkit?" I try to keep the exasperation out of my voice as I answer the white kitten.

"Featherkit was wondering when cats are allowed to become apprentices," Sweekit asks boldly. The two she-kits were very close, but very different in personality. Sweetkit would often walk straight up to the warriors' den, but Featherkit barely ever left her mother's side. Right now, everyone is supposed to be out of the nursery so Mosskit and I could finish clearing away the bedding. However, Sweetkit often ignored any rule, so why should she mind this one?

"When they're six moons old," I reply, turning back to my job.

"How long is that? Will I be an apprentice soon? Will you?" Sweetkit wants to know.

"A very long time, no, and yes," I say. "I'm about six moons old now. Mosskit, Swiftkit, and I are going to be apprentices _very_ soon," _and then you won't be able to bother us,_ I add silently in my head, tired and trying to keep my patience.

"I wish I were an apprentice," Sweekit sighs. "Then Dustpaw wouldn't be able to boss me around."

"I think regardless of rank, Dustpaw will boss anyone around," I snort.

"But he's sooo annoying!."

"I'm sure you two will get along great then."

"Huh?"

"Nothing," I reply hastily, before Sweetkit can figure it out. I ball up some moss and send it over my shoulder. Sweetkit squeals and chases after it.

"It's dirty…!" I call after her, but she doesn't hear me or doesn't care.

"Is that all?" Mosskit asks as she lays down the last of her moss.

"Yep," I reply. "We should go check on Swiftkit. He's probably forgotten all about ticks and has sunk into another one of Snakefoot's stories."

"Don't act like you don't enjoy them," a voice says behind us. We turn around to see Swiftkit standing in the entryway of the nursery. A patch of bare skin still remain on his left hindquarter, a bit of scratched-off fur that never came back. "And for your information, I've just finished! Want to go and play for the first time in eons?!"

"It's only been three moons! And we've had plenty of time to play!" I argue, but I spring after him and he dashes off.

We chase each other around, rolling in the dust and moss, pouncing on tails and whacking paws. By the time the sun starts its decline, we're all tired, dirty, and happy.

"Let all cats old enough to climb gather beneath Hightree!" Familiar gatherings meet my ears as Cherrystar climbs out of her den.

"There you are!" Cliffsplash runs over to us. "Look at you! Covered in dirt and moss! What have you been doing! I can't believe…" She hurriedly started licking us and smoothing out fur.

"Cliffsplash!" Swiftkit complains. "What are you—"

"We gather here this evening for a very important ceremony," Cherrystar begins. "The naming of apprentices."

My heart skipped a beat. We had waited so long!

"Swiftkit, come forward."

My brother scrambled forward, a little too eager, and puffs his chest out when he passes Amberpaw. She giggles, and Specklepaw covers up her mouth with her tail.

"From this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Swiftpaw," Cherrystar rests her muzzle on his head. "Your mentor will be Lightspring."

Swiftpaw touches noses with his new mentor.

"Mosskit, come forward."

Mosskit strolled forward, her fur somehow perfect and shining again.

"Mosskit, from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Mosspaw. Your mentor will be Oakstalk."

Mosspaw's eyes widen as she remembers her run-in with the fiery tom moons back; but Oakstalk grins and touches noses with her reassuringly, and she relaxes.

"Clearkit, come forward."

Trembling, I approach Cherrystar.

"From this day forth, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Clearpaw. Your mentor shall be Bright-tail."

 _Bright-tail!_ My heart lifts. Bright-tail is known for her kindness. I shyly touch noses with her. Her eyes glow in the dimming light. "I promise to teach everything I know."

"Swiftpaw! Mosspaw! Clearpaw!" The whole Clan cheers our names, even Sweetkit and Featherkit, who are watching from the nursery.

"Congratulations, guys!" Amberpaw greets us by our new den. She nods to all of us, but her gaze lingers on Swiftpaw.

"Don't sleep in those three; those are ours," Dustpaw grumbles, but Specklpaw nudges him and says, "I'm glad you guys will finally be joining us!"

The six of us clamber into our nests as the moon starts to rise. _My very own nest!_ I squirm in excitement before curling up next to Mosspaw and Swiftpaw.

"Goodnight, guys," I whisper.

"Go to sleep," Dustpaw mutters, but Specklepaw and Amberpaw both mumble something congenial-sounding to me.

"Goodnight," Mosspaw and Swiftpaw murmur. Finally, I let my eyes slide shut.


	7. Chapter 5: A Falling Feather

**Wow, another snow day for me! More time to write for me! More chapters for you!**

Chapter 5

"Clearpaw…Clearpaw!"

"Hmmph… huh?" The last shreds of my dream float away. Bright-tail is standing over me, her paw raised as she is about to poke me again. "Dawn patrol!"

I'm up in an instant. A dawn patrol! On my very first day! "Are Mosspaw and Swiftpaw coming too?"

Bright-tail nods. "With Lightspring and Oakstalk."

"Let's go!"

"I'm glad you're so enthusiastic," Bright-tail yawns. "You'll find out soon enough that dawn patrol isn't usually a good thing."

"Why not?" I'm usually not so chatty, but energy is coursing through me as though I could run around camp five times.

"Well, you have to get up early for one thing," Bright-tail mews. "And for another, there's usually nothing fun to discover. All we do is refresh the border markers."

"Well, today you'll be showing me the territory _and_ doing the dawn patrol!" I chirp. "So you kill two birds with one pounce!"

Bright-tail's whiskers twitch. "Looks like I got lucky with such a clever apprentice!"

I'm not sure if she's teasing me or not, but I don't care. Mosspaw and Swiftpaw look just as awake as I do, and Lightspring and Oakstalk look just as awake as Bright-tail.

"Well, let's get this over with," Oakstalk grumbles.

The forest is just as big as I remember it, if not bigger. It's not green anymore; instead, colors like red and orange and brown crowd my vision and new, crisp scents fill my nose. The prey-smell isn't as strong, but it's still there. I can sense mice snuffling around in the undergrowth, nibbling on seeds and nuts.

"That's the Burnt Tree," Lightspring nods to a twisted, black, leafless trunk. "It was struck by lightning many moons ago, but it's sturdy and SkyClan apprentices use it to practice their climbing skills."

As we walk around the territory, our mentors point out different things to us. It's so much bigger than I imagined, and so much more wonderful. All of us get a bit quiet when we pass they collapsed Two-leg Den. Despite the passed moons, its remains are still there. Bright-tail awkwardly tells us that it's still a good area to hunt mice, and we quickly walk away.

"YUCK!" Mosspaw coughs. "What's that disgusting smell?"

"That," Lightspring curls her lip, "is ThunderClan. Be careful, we're getting close to the border."

The border is easy to miss—visually. I, however, can easily smell the strong reek of ThunderClan markings, and let the warriors show us how to refresh our scent before we continue.

"Ok, I thought _that_ was bad," Mosspaw recoils suddenly. "But what is _that?"_

"RiverClan," Bright-tail growls.

I sniff the air, surprised that I hadn't noticed it before. It's strong, yes, but not gross. It smells of water and rain, like fish and sunlight. I sort of like it.

"This is the RiverClan border," Oakstalk tells us as we come to a rushing stream. "The river is where the RiverClan cats hide and cheat. They stalk us and swim in there like fish. It's unnatural." Lightspring, Bright-tail, and Mosspaw all nod in agreement. Swiftpaw and I exchange looks.

It was odd—I feel a sort of pulling in my paws as I stare at the river. The way it tumbles and trickles seems like it was calling to me… I pull away, embarrassed. No, that was silly, I am a SkyClan cat; and we don't swim.

A shrill cry breaks into my thoughts. Shaking myself, I look up to see a white kit being tossed down the river. Sweetkit! _How did she get out here?_ I wonder, but it doesn't matter because suddenly, I find myself jumping into the water with a loud splash.

"Clearpaw!" Mosspaw gasps, but there's another splash and then Swiftpaw is in the river next to me. I don't look back to watch our mentors' reaction; instead, I calmly start to work my paws against the current and feel my body moving forwards, and closer to Berrycloud's kit.

As I firmly grasp my jaws around Sweetkit's scruff, I wonder why Swiftpaw jumped in with me—until I see that he isn't heading towards Sweetkit, but instead another bundle of sodden fur that's floating in the water—much more limp than Sweetkit. _Featherkit!_

I kick against the ground and propel myself towards the bank, then scramble out. The water slides smoothly off my pelt, and I only have to shake a little bit before I start to dry. Swiftpaw climbs out of the river and places Featherkit down. I drop Sweetkit next to her.

"Somebody call Mistfur!" Swiftpaw meows urgently, nosing Featherkit. But no cat does. We all know it is too late.

"F-f-Featherkit?" Sweetkit is not only scared, but her teeth are chattering. I begin to rub her fur the wrong way to warm her up.

"Why were you two out here?" Lightspring demands. Her eyes shine with a deep grief, and I remember that they are distant kin.

"We—we were bored! And I thought that if Clearpaw, Mosspaw, and Swiftpaw could be apprentices, we could too!" Sweetkit whimpered.

"You're nowhere near the age to leave camp!" Oakstalk growled, while Bright-tail continued to nose Featherkit sadly.

"I'm sorry," Sweetkit whispered and cowered further to the ground. "What's wrong with Featherkit? Why won't she get up?"

"Sweetkit…" Mosspaw adopts her warm, sympathetic tone that usually gets her whatever she wants; this time, though, she means it. "Featherkit hit her head on a rock… she was dead before Swiftpaw even saw her."

At first, it doesn't seem to register with Sweetkit. Then something in her eyes clicks, and she gasps. "No… _No!"_ she wails, burying her nose in her dead sister's fur.

I watch her, heavy with sorrow. It was all too similar to the time my littermates and I left the camp prematurely… only this time, the kits hadn't been so lucky.

o o o

I feel weighed down as I sit vigil for Featherkit that night. Berrycloud and Quickspots haven't even laid down or tried to sleep; the white she-cat has her muzzle buried in her mate's shoulder, while Quickspots just stares at his daughter, his face contorted with grief. Usually, kits aren't supposed to keep vigil, but Sweetkit wouldn't let anyone pull her away from her sister, and was now curled up by the small body.

As far as first days go, mine as an apprentice hadn't been so great. Yes, I had saved Sweetkit, but Featherkit was still dead. _It's not my fault! They shouldn't have left camp in the first place!_ But it doesn't ease the pain.

"Kits these days! When I was a youngster, we never left camp!" Snakefoot rasps, but there is only sadness in his voice.

"Clearpaw?" Mosspaw pads away from the body and touches her nose to mine. "I'm going to bed. You coming?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I sigh hesitantly. Only close family and friends spend the whole night with the deceased. I had barely ever talked to Featherkit, although she never liked to talk. I sigh again and follow Mosspaw to our den.

 **Aaaaaand the plot starts rolling...very...slowly... please leave your email and/or give a review and/or follow and fave! I'm Vinepoppy, if you want to look at my different stories!**


	8. Chapter 6: The Gathering

**Ah, the weekend, finally!** **Well, here's Chapter 6! The plot thickens!**

Chapter 6

Half a moon has passed since the loss of Featherkit. Most cats have recovered, but Berrycloud, Quickspots, and Sweetkit still seem distant. I feel bad for them, but I cannot empathize, and I'm glad for that. However, unexpected news lifts my spirits.

"Congratulations, Clearpaw!" Bright-tail walks up to me, her paw steps light and happy. "Cherrystar has allowed you to come to the Gathering tonight!"

"What?!" I gasp, my tail-stump wiggling in excitement. "Really?!"

"She says that you are mature enough and since this is the first full moon since you began your apprenticeship, you can come to hear every cat chant your name!"

"Wow…" I breathe. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. "Will Mosspaw and Swiftpaw come too?"

"Yes," Bright-tail confirms with a dip of her head, then walks off to eat fresh-kill by her littermates.

I can't sit still until finally, the sun begins to set and Cherrystar bounds out of her den.

"Tonight," she begins, "I will bring Crowheart, Mistfur, Haypaw, Flowerfur, Flaxenpelt, Ravenstripe, Cliffsplash, Harepelt, Bright-tail, Oakstalk, Lightspring, and our three new apprentices." Her warm gaze lands on my littermates and me. We exchange happy-terrified glances.

"Beejump and Sandyclaw, keep watch until we return. " The two senior warriors nod.

"SkyClan, follow me!" Cherrystar yowls, then takes off into the forest.

Energy pumps through my body as I run with the Clan. I feel as if I could never stop moving! Every bone in me was alive, and I liked it. I was going to my very first Gathering!

We keep jogging for a while until we hit the ThunderClan border. I turn anxiously to Bright-tail. "What now?"

"Don't worry," she reassures me. "We are allowed to pass through to get to Fourtrees."

I sigh in relief and carefully pick my way across the border, snorting slightly as the stench hits my nose. Fortunately, there is not too long a ways to go, and soon we arrive at Fourtrees.

The four oaks tower above everything and I catch my breath. I thought the trees in SkyClan territory are large, but these are enormous! And the smells! Cats from all the Clans mill around me, and for the first time I get a whiff of ShadowClan and WindClan.

"Oof!" I yelp as a ShadowClan apprentice knocks into me. We both crash to the ground.

"Watch it!" I snap. "Where—"

"Oops!" she gasps. "I'm so, so sorry! I didn't see you there! I'm _so_ sorry! I can't—I was just trying to lose this tom, I didn't see you… I'm sorry!"

My annoyance melts and turns into amusement. The apprentice is a rich, dark brown, almost red, with three dark stripes stretching across her back. Her muzzle, underbelly and legs were all white. Black stripes stretched from her eyes to her nose. Her fur sticks up in all different directions, and crashing into me didn't help. Her tail seemed extraordinarily long, and her amber eyes were wide and apologetic.

"It's okay," I dip my head. "Sorry I snapped, I didn't really mean it."

"Oh thank goodness!" The cat whisks her long tail in relief. "I'm Spikepaw from ShadowClan! What's your name?"

"Clearpaw," I reply warmly. "from SkyClan."

"Oh good! I thought you were from ThunderClan, and I got nervous, because ShadowClan doesn't ThunderClan too much right now, because they're stealing prey, and I was starting to like you, but phew! And now that you're from SkyClan and not ThunderClan, you wanna be friends?" Spikepaw meows this all very fast.

 _That was quick,_ I think, but I just bob my head and reply, "Sure!"

"Oh great!" Spikepaw squeals. "I've been so lonely in ShadowClan because there's no cat around my age except, of course, Snailpaw but _yuck!_ Nobody likes him, not even his mother! Which I do feel a bit bad about but he's soooo annoying! And also now that we're friends, we can tell each other anything, right? Right! So I just noticed your really short tail, and I was thinking, wow, that's weird, but now I sort of like it! It's so cute and so _not_ like mine! Mine is so long that it gets in the way of everything all the time! And also I think your eyes are really pretty, how one's blue and the other's green. I wish my eyes were like that but nope, I'm stuck with amber! Really too bad, don't you agree?"

I blink, very taken aback. "Er—I think amber suits you perfectly!"

"Aw!" Spikepaw beams. "Thanks! I—"

"Spikepaw! Get over here, I want to introduce you to Swallowpaw!" A cat that could only be Spikepaw's mentor calls to her.

"Sorry, I gotta go! Look for me at the next Gathering!" then the apprentice dashes off.

I barely have time to think before I hear a loud yowl from the Great Rock. The Gathering is starting!

"ThunderClan has been thriving this moon," Brownstar, the ThunderClan leader, begins. "We have been blessed with a litter of three kits from Roseheart and Gingerclaw." He then steps back and Cherrystar takes his place.

"SkyClan has three new apprentice, Mosspaw, Clearpaw, and Swiftpaw," Cherrystar meows.

"Mosspaw! Clearpaw! Swiftpaw!" the crowd yowls. I lift my head high, proud and embarrassed and the same time. Mosspaw dips her heads to some of the surrounding cats, making me roll my eyes. Swiftpaw scuffs the ground with his forepaws.

"But with growth, there comes grief," Cherrystar bows her head, and my good spirits sink. "Featherkit passed away this moon."

Soft murmurs of sorrow ripple through the cats. Many cats sitting close to SkyClan whisper their condolences.

"WindClan has nothing to report, except good hunting and god running," Gorgestar, leader of WindClan, announces.

"ShadowClan has two new apprentices, Spikepaw and Snailpaw," Briarstar, leader of ShadowClan, tells us. The cats chant their names, and I catch a glimpse of Spikepaw and a grey-brown tom sitting next to her. "Also, we recently drove a fox off our territory, and would like to warn WindClan that it may try to approach yours." Gorgestar dips his head.

"RiverClan has two new warriors," Minnowstar of RiverClan meows. "Stripepelt and Hollybark."

"Stripepelt! Hollybark!"

"Does any Clan have anything else to discuss?" Briarstar asks. The leaders shake their heads. "Then this Gathering is at end!"

As the leaders jump down from Great Rock and the others start to meow again, I hear some cat calling to me. I turn around to see Cliffsplash standing with Mosspaw and Swiftpaw next to some strange cat. He is golden-brown with rich, mud-colored eyes. He has a few different patches of brown on his fur. I trot over. "Yes, Mother?"

"I would like you three to meet Heronleap," Cliffsplash mews. For some reason, her eyes glow with anxiety and happiness and fear all at once, and her tail sweeps the ground constantly. "He's a warrior of RiverClan."

Mosspaw barely wrinkles her nose, but her voice is polite as she smiles and says, "Hello, Heronleap." Swiftpaw and I echo her.

"Greetings," he replies. His voice is warm, but restrained slightly. He glances to Cliffsplash. "Should we… take them to somewhere private and explain?"

I shoot Cliffsplash a curious look. She doesn't look at us as she hesitantly nods.

When out of the large clearing, Mother and Heronleap turn to us.

"We've decided that we shouldn't hide this from you," Cliffsplash

begins. My littermates and I exchange confused looks.

"You know Nightcreek?" Cliffsplash asks.

"Of course," I meow, bemused.

"He's not who you think he is," Heronleap tells us heavily.

Now I am just bewildered. What are the mewing about?

"Nightcreek isn't your father, kits," Cliffsplash sighs. "Heronleap is."

Silence. We stare at our mother, and then to Heronleap, jaws hanging in disbelief. Finally, Swiftpaw finds his voice. "But… Heronleap… He's from RiverClan! He can't be your mate! That's against the warrior code!"

"Yeah!" Mosspaw whines. "And I like Nightcreek! He's always there for us! Why are we just now meeting Heronleap?"

"We didn't want to be caught sneaking out with kits from the camp," Cliffsplash explains quietly. "After Swiftpaw nearly died, I was frightened to take away from camp. I decided the Gathering would be the best time to tell you."

"Swiftpaw nearly died?" Heronleap turns to his son, concern showing in his eyes, but Swiftpaw just turns away slightly, shock still bristling his fur.

"I know this is hard for you," Cliffsplash whispers to us. "But you have trust me."

"What about Nightcreek?" I murmur. "Does he know about Heronleap? Or does he believe that we're his kits?"

"Nightcreek knows," Cliffsplash sighs. "We've been close friends since we were kits, but I believe Nightcreek has always wanted to be more. When he found out I was pregnant, and not with his kits, he was a little upset at first, but I told him the whole story and begged him to pretend to be you father. He agreed." Cliffsplash drops her gaze. "I don't deserve him. He's the one who told me to tell you."

The three of us sit there in stunned silence. I take a deep breath and squeeze my eyes shut. Cliffsplash wasn't lying; I could tell. He looks nearly identical to Mosspaw for one thing; for another, his tail is short, just like mine. Heronleap is our father.


	9. Chapter 7: An Unexpected Stumble

Chapter 7

I plod through the forest, exhausted. I half-wish I hadn't gone to the Gathering last night, because although I have been allowed to sleep in today, I am still weary and my eyes ache. Everything around me is hazy—objects swim in and out of my vision, and I don't realize that some cat is talking to me before I nearly fall over as Bright-tail jabs my shoulder.

"Clearpaw!" she snaps, trying to keep her temper. "You're going to wrong way! Camp is that way!"

"Right, sorry," I mutter, trying not to bristle at her annoyed tone. Honestly, I don't blame her. I've been pretty useless today.

"Clearpaw, are you sure you're okay?" Bright-tail's irritated voice melts slightly into a concerned one. "First, you slipped and fell in battle training, and then you didn't catch anything on the hunting patrol afterwards. I know you're tired from last night, but Mosspaw and Swiftpaw are fine."

"I'm okay," I mumble, shaking my head and trying to clear away the thoughts chasing each other. Frankly, it isn't just the Gathering that tired me. It is the news…

 _Stop it,_ I scold myself. _You can't do anything about it; what's done is done. All you have to do is keep the secret. That, and try to not kill yourself with worry that somebody will find out…_

"Clearpaw!"

"Wha-oh… sorry," I growl, annoyed with myself for drifting off again. Bright-tail flicks her tail crossly. "Let's just go. You obviously think you're too good to listen to your mentor." With that, she stalks off, heading towards camp.

I don't want to be, but I am stung by her retort. I hang my head, miserable that I let my mentor down. I sigh, then start towards camp.

By the time I get there, my head is pounding and my legs are trembling. I'm panting with the effort of walking to camp, despite to cool chill of the leaf-fall air. I drag myself to the fresh-kill pile, only to realize that the smell of food sickens me. I start to search for Bright-tail to ask if I can rest for the remainder of the day, when everything around me tilts. I don't realize I'm collapsing until I hit the ground, and then everything goes black.

o o o

 _I am chased by fever dreams. First, I am standing alone in a river, and a thick green fog engulfs me. All I can see is water, but somehow I still get the feeling it is just a river. I cannot see above the fog, but I sense a blue sky. I want to get up there, to the sky, but my paws are rooted to the river. I am sinking…._

 _The dream changes. Now, cats surround me. Every cat has a weird smell clinging to his or her fur, but none are Clan cats. Their eyes glow yellow, even though it is not dark. Twisted trees swirl in my peripheral vision, but they stop moving when I turn to get a closer look._

 _Again, the dream shifts. I am a kit again, but instead of my mother snuggling against me, a tigress is snarling as I try to knead her stomach for milk. I'm not frightened, just hungry. Why won't she let me drink? And then the tigress lunges for my neck, and everything goes black as the dream fades…_

o o o

"Clearpaw? Clearpaw, can you hear me?"

"Cliffsplash, let her breathe."

"I'm telling you, she won't wake up. She's been out for days."

"Then make her wake up!"

"I can't, I'm sorry. I've given her herbs to soothe her fever and her nausea, but she's not gotten better. She's still burning up."

"She must've caught it at the Gathering…"

"Cherrystar should've never let her go!"

"Mosspaw and Swiftpaw are fine."

I whimper as the three confusing voices crows around me, filling my ears and reverberating inside my skull. My skull, which currently feels as though it is splitting open, as though some cat is clouting it without stop.

"Shh, did you hear that?"

"She said something!"

"She groaned, that doesn't exactly count."

"Shush, Mistfur, don't down our spirits."

I just want them to stop. I groan again and shift inside my cool moss nest.

"She's awake, look, she's moving."

"I guess so. Clearpaw, move your tail if you can hear me."

"She doesn't have a tail!"

"Oh, yes, I remember. I guess I'll just have to ask you to open your eyes, please."

I don't want to, though.

"Oh, Clearpaw, please be okay…"

At the sound of my mother's desperate voice, I soften slightly. With a weary sigh that hurts my ribs, I open my eyes, and promptly become blinded.

"Careful, it might be a bit bright at first," a blur who I think is Mistfur meows.

Now he tells me.

I try to shift to get a better view of Mother and Fath—no, Nightcreek—and promptly vomit.

"Yes, don't worry, she's been doing that often," Mistfur says pleasantly. "I can give her herbs for it, although nothing too strong because I don't want her to fall back asleep yet.

"Mother?" My voice cracks slightly after lack of use.

"I'm right here, darling," Cliffsplash whispers and lays down next to me.

"I feel awful," I whimper, not caring that I sound like a kit.

"I know," Cliffsplash murmurs, her eyes full of sympathy.

"Mosspaw and Swiftpaw?" I croak out.

"They're okay. You've gotten ill, but you haven't passed it to anyone," she tells me. She doesn't say it out loud, but I can hear it in her voice— _yet,_ she thinks.

"Here, eat this watermint," Mistfur suggests. "It will ease your belly pain.

I sniff with disinterest at the herbs, not feeling up to eating anything, but lap them up weakly.

Even with just a few moments of wakefulness, I feel myself fading again. My eyelids droop, and though Mistfur is telling me to not fall asleep, I close my eyes and let all the pain fade.

o o o

I am awakened (unfortunately, and very painfully) by another cat being dragged into the medicine cat den by Haypaw.

"She collapsed, just like Clearpaw," he explains, and with a jolt of horror, I realize that it is Bright-tail that is now being carefully settled in a moss nest a few yard away from mine.

"Has she had any contact with others recently?" Mistfur inquired.

"Oakstalk was nosing her when he asked me to check her out."

"Where is he now?"

"Hunting with Mosspaw," Haypaw replies grimly.

At the mention of my sister, I lift my head weakly. Mistfur gives me a quick glance before nodding to me and saying, "Haypaw, keep an eye on her apprentice while I take care of Bright-tail."

I relax again as Haypaw gives me a quick sniff and feeds me some more herbs. I am feeling better, but not wonderful. I'm still panting, even though the chill of leaf-bare is setting into the air.

"How do you feel?" the yellow tabby asks.

"Better," I mumble.

"Good," Haypaw mutters, a little distracted as he applies a poultice for my dry nose.

I am not awake for long before I slip back into unconsciousness once more.


	10. Chapter 8: Recoveries and Losses

**Hey guys! Sorry that I didn't post Sunday, I was busy. I've just finished Chapter 8 now. Also, answer to your question Hazeldapple, I don't know why I hyphenated her name, I just did. I thought that was how it was supposed to be if two of the same letters in a warriors name were next to each other, I guess. Anyways, on with the story! Hope you like it!**

Chapter 8

Since Bright-tail's arrival, four more cats have arrived: Oakstalk, Lightspring, Flaxenpelt, and Cliffsplash. However, I barely have time to worry, because although Mistfur says I should be getting better, I seem to have gotten worse. I am constantly shivering, and even the small movement is draining me of my energy. I'm never hungry, although the short times I am awake they make me try to eat (which I never do, I just pretend to take a small bite and then turn away). Even though I feel cold, I burn in my bones, as though my body heat is being dammed up and stored, unable to break through and therefor welling up within me.

Distantly, I hear Mistfur mutter to Haypaw that he's never seen any sickness like this before, and when Haypaw leaves for the half moon medicine cat meeting (Mistfur isn't going because there are too many sick cats) he'll have to ask the others if they've seen it. I don't think about it; Swiftpaw is trying to get me to eat again. I close my eyes and turn away, not bothering to even try to sniff it. I know I'm thin and need nutrients, but the thought of eating makes me sick. This time, darkness envelops me quicker than ever.

o o o

When I wake up, it's nighttime. I can't help but feel a sense of relief—nobody will try to nag me into eating. However, I can sense at once that something is out of place.

Instead of scrambling around the patients, or at least resting peacefully, Mistfur is lying on his side, wheezing gently, his eyes half open and his nose dry. Haypaw is slumped against the wall, still healthy but exhausted.

"Haypaw…" I rasp weakly.

"Hmm…wha?" Haypaw mutters. "Clearpaw… is something wrong? Do you need help?"

"S'Mistfur," I mumble. "Wrong…sick." The words don't want to come off my dry, swollen tongue, but Haypaw is up in an instant, sniffing his mentor's pelt in concern. "Oh no… he has the sickness."

I shudder and curl into an even tighter ball. What hope do we have if our medicine cat is ill? A cough racks my body and Haypaw is at my side in an instant, sniffing my side and giving me some coltsfoot. My teeth chatter and I let out a small whimper. When will this end?

o o o

The next morning, we awake to our first casualty. Lightspring is dead, just a lump of tan-and-white fur curled up and stiffening. Pinestep lets out of sob of grief—she is the only cat in her family to not have fallen ill, although I hear her wail, "I wish it was me!" I am awake long enough to watch the elders carry her out of the den and start to dig her grave, until I fall asleep again, feeling guilty but weary.

That night, I awake and peer through the den opening to see cats sitting vigil for Lightspring. There are not as many as there should be—only Pinestep, Swiftpaw, Sandyclaw, and Flowerfur remain by her side.

The next morning, Mosspaw joins us. Her eyes are dull and her usually shining pelt is ragged. We have run out of nests, and Swiftpaw hurries to make one more.

o o o

The pain comes so unexpectedly that I nearly pass out immediately. It feels as if a dog has just taken an enormous bite out of my side. I only have a moment to think, _Is this what Lightspring felt?_ before letting darkness sweep over me.

o o o

 _Unlike my first dreams, I am very aware that I am dreaming. But it seems so real, that I have a feeling that soon, it will become reality and I will leave the wakeful world for good. Bright green grass whispers softly around me, tickling my paws. A gentle breeze lifts my fur and tall trees tower over my head. In the sky, stars blink and wink kindly down at me._ Where am I? _I wonder, but I know where I am._

 _"_ _Greetings, young one," a voice says. I turn to see a blue-grey tom sitting behind me. "Welcome to StarClan."_

 _"_ _That's it then?" I ask sadly. "I'm dead?"_

 _"_ _Maybe, maybe not," he replies. "I am Rushingstar, former leader of RiverClan."_

 _"_ _RiverClan…" I murmur. With all the chaos and sickness that had plagued me, I had forgotten all about Heronleap._

 _"_ _And I am Deerstar," A light brown she-cat says as she appears out of the mist, "former leader of SkyClan."_

 _"_ _We are you distant ancestors," Rushingstar explains. "I represent your RiverClan side."_

 _"_ _And I, your SkyClan side," Deerstar meows. "We both needed to talk to you, and help you."_

 _"_ _Even StarClan cats don't have the power to change destiny, though," I argue. "If I'm supposed to die, I'm supposed to die."_

 _"_ _That's true," Deerstar agrees. "We can't change fate. But it is not your destiny to die so young."_

 _"_ _We are here to give you a message," Rushingstar says. "We know how to cure this illness, but Haypaw ad Mistfur do not know this herb or how to get it!"_

 _"_ _Tell Haypaw that to find the herb he seeks, he must look in the Two-leg gardens. The herb is perilla, an earthy herb with a slightly minty taste," Deerstar urges me._

 _"_ _You need not join our ranks so soon," Rushingstar murmurs, and I realize that suddenly he is fading, along with Deerstar… or am I the one fading?_

 _"_ _Remember… you may be half-clan, but your heart is pure!" Deerstar calls, and then everything fades to white._

o o o

"Perilla!" I gasp, my eyes flaring open. My bones aren't on fire anymore, and my fur isn't frozen.

"Clearpaw!" Haypaw whispers in shock. I realize that he is sitting next to me, and weary expression dissolving from his eyes. "We… We thought you were dead! You were so still!"

I shake myself, standing up so quickly that Swiftpaw, who is also sitting by me, gasps. "Tell Mistfur that the herb we need is perilla!"

There's an awkward silence, and Haypaw and Swiftpaw exchange looks. "What?" I demand.

"Clearpaw… Mistfur is… dead," Haypaw chokes out.

I stand there, my jaw agape. "I… I'm sorry, I didn't know," I whisper. Haypaw shakes his head, his eyes filled with grief.

"We need to get the perilla," I murmur.

"Perilla? What are you mewing about?" Swiftpaw asks.

"I had a dream, StarClan came to me!" I blurt out. The two male apprentices exchange shocked looks. "Rushingstar and Deerstar, they said. They told me to tell you about perilla, a Two-leg herb that's earthy and minty!"

"I'll ask Cherrystar if we can immediately go to the Two-leg Place and gather it," Haypaw says, then whisks off.

"I'm so glad you're better," Swiftpaw purrs, but there's a sad edge to his voice.

"What is it?" I cock my head. "What's wrong?"

"It's Cliffsplash," my brother replies, lowering his voice. "She's gotten worse. You've been out for two days. Haypaw says that Cliffsplash and Bright-tail are the worst cases we have. He won't let anyone see them because they're the most contagious. Not even Nightcreek or I can see Mother."

I stare at him, my heart starting to pound. "She'll be okay," I force out. "She has to be. They both have to be."

o o o

Cherrystar and Haypaw make arrangements for a patrol to go to Two-keg Place tomorrow at dawn. I am excited and also nervous, because they want me to lead the patrol—an honor that is rare for an apprentice.

Now I am resting, still in the medicine cat den because Haypaw wants to keep an eye. I am just starting to curl up for the night when I hear some cat whisper my name. I prick my ears.

"Clearpaw…"

I follow it into Haypaw's personal quarters, where Cliffsplash is sleeping. Or, supposed to be sleeping. Her eyes are open.

"I'm here, Mother. Do you need something? Water? Food?"

"Just… just you…" she rasps, then falls back to sleep. I lay down next to her, concerned that if I leave something horrible will happen.

It doesn't make a difference. Something horrible happens anyways.

When she wakes the second time, it's different. She wakes with a quick, painful intake of breath, then lets out a breathy exhale, and before she's hyperventilating slightly. I lift my head and realize with a jolt of panic that she is going through the same pain I felt before I had drifted to StarClan. _Please, StarClan…no…_

"Mother?" I whisper, my voice cracking slightly.

"Clearpaw…" she murmurs. Her body is stiff and tense, as though she is trying to physically suppress the pain. Only her eyes move. They rest on me, full of sadness and hope. Hope for me.

"I love you," she chokes out.

"Don't go…" I try to hold back a sob.

She sighs and her body relaxes. Her eyes drift away away from mine as her last breath leaves her.

"I love you, too," I whisper and bury my nose into her cooling fur.


End file.
